Families driving SUV boom – study

Want to know who’s driving SUV sales? A new report from Nielsen has some answers.

Family buyers in Australia are 31 per cent more likely than the average Australian to buy an SUV, according to new data released by research firm Nielsen.

According to the study, more than 354,000 families are looking to buy a new SUV within the next 12 months. A whopping 40 per cent know what kind of car they’re after already, while 45 per cent would consider buying a car from a brand they’ve not yet experienced.

In positive news for both motoring journalists and the glossy Instagram influencer set, families were reportedly 80 per cent more likely to be inspired by influencers, social commentators and industry experts than other buyers.

SUV sales have boomed in recent years, with crossovers overtaking passenger cars Down Under in February of 2017.

Last month’s VFACTS data show SUVs with a market share of 44.55 per cent, with passenger cars sitting substantially lower at 34.7 per cent.

Sales of passenger cars fell 20.2 per cent between June and July of this year, with SUVs declining by a less-concerning one per cent.

Such data is hardly surprising, given the recent influx of small and mid-sized SUVs launched in Australia as of late. Small and medium SUV sales in Australia have grown from 6588 in August of 2008, to 24,959 in July of 2018.

Brands like Nissan are hedging their bets on this trajectory after discontinuing all passenger cars in 2017. Despite this move, it has continued to grow its sales, thanks in part to the success of the X-Trail medium SUV and Qashqai small SUV.

This trend is not just limited to Australia, with Ford in the United States recently announcing it’ll cease manufacturing most passenger cars, with 90 per cent of its model line-up to consist of “trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles” by 2020.